Sometimes you just want to have fun. And what better way to do so than to hearken back to the classic sounds of Motown and Stax. That’s apparently the approach that Dallas artist Chris J Norwood took with his forthcoming album. As he describes below, Norwood dug into the styles of those legendary musical institutions and brought them to life on his songs.
And he didn’t do it alone. The album is awash with strings, horns, and background vocalists, sometimes – as is the case with “Love Me Back to Life” – on a single song. Lyle Lovett has his big band. Now Chris J Norwood has his.
This song started with the drum beat, which is essentially the groove from ‘You Can’t Hurry Love” — such an iconic old soul groove. Lyrically, I wanted to write a song about how amazing my wife is! Previously, I’d spent too many albums writing about heartache, and I wanted this one to reflect where I’m currently with the love of my life. One of the things I love about soul music lyrically is that not everything has to be so heavy-handed. It’s not that the lyrics don’t matter; it’s just that they’re a part of the greater aim of giving you that good soul feeling. One of my favorite parts of this song is the amazing string playing (arranged by my friend Nick Seeley). The strings still give me goosebumps when they come in on the second verse. And that sax solo by the excellent Preston Lewis on the outro is phenomenal!
Using Motown as a guide for this track, I knew I wanted to make it big and sweeping. Those early Motown hits are so expansive with the band, background vocals, horns, percussion, and strings. And it’s almost reminiscent of Phil Spector’s ‘Wall Of Sound’ approach. This track has 14 musicians on it. I had so much fun building the whole arrangement. We started with the rhythm section (bass, drums, percussion, guitar, and keys) playing together in the room. Then, I overdubbed the lead vocals and then the backing vocals with that call and response. I then added the horn with the amazing sax solo on the outro. Then, finally, the strings. But everything fits together. We were very intentional about each layer complementing and supporting the whole groove.
Twangville is honored to premiere “Love Me Back to Life” from the forthcoming Chris J Norwood and the Knockdown Dragout self-titled debut. And yes, that sax solo is quite tasty.
About the author: Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.